Machinery Relieves Workers from Backbreaking Drudgery Taking a Risk for the Benefit of Many Setting New Sights for Glass Technology

Setting New Sights for Glass Technology

In 1965, almost half a century after its founding, Nippon Sheet Glass again demonstrated its pioneering spirit in pursuit of new technology when it became the first company in the Far East to produce sheet glass using the float glass manufacturing process. Prior to that, it had been difficult to make perfectly flat sheet glass of consistent thickness, and glass for use in mirrors or automotive applications had to be ground with an abrasive. The labor-intensive process required large-scale facilities, and the grinding process spoiled the luster of the glass surface. The float glass manufacturing process solved these problems by floating the glass in a liquid—a dramatic technical innovation that only happens once every 50 years or so. Nippon Sheet Glass led the industry in signing a contract to introduce the new technology over three years, and surprised the whole world when it developed float glass manufacturing technology for extra-thick sheet glass of 8 mm or more (for which there was substantial demand in the construction industry), more quickly than the company supplying the original technology. Subsequently, the firm transferred the technology to other countries, mainly in Asia, and produced glass locally, contributing to the acquisition of technical skills and industrialization of various nations. The Nippon Sheet Glass Group now employs 12,000 people worldwide, with three-quarters of its employees outside Japan. Nippon Sheet Glass is currently developing cutting-edge technology to pioneer the next generation of projects ranging from glass & building materials, transportation glass and materials, information technology, to glass fiber. Its management is constantly guided by the precept that making a profit should be done so as to benefit society as a whole. Preparation of this article was overseen and photos provided by the Sumitomo Shi-ryo-kan and Nippon Sheet Glass.

Nippon Sheet Glass developed the world’s first ultra fine flat glass (UFF) manufacturing technology in 1979. UFF and thin-film coating technologies are essential for the next generation display now under development, such as the plasma display panels (PDP) for televisions being produced here. A mixture of materials including silica, soda, and limestone is melted down and cooled before being processed into various applications.

CORPORATE DATA (As of September, 2004) FOUNDED 1918 PAID-IN CAPITAL 41,06 billion EMPLOYEES 12,371 (consolidated), 2,540 (parent) HISTORIC MILESTONES 1918 Obtained technology from Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass Co. of the United States to produce flat glass using the Colburn process. 1918 Established as America Japan Sheet Glass Co., Ltd. with its head office in Osaka. 1931 Changed the company name to Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd. 1941 Acquired Tokunaga Sheet Glass Manufacturing Co., Ltd. 1961 Completed construction of the Head Office building in Osaka. 1964 Installed a new float glass manufacturing process at the Maizuru Plant. 1970 Acquired Nippon Safety Glass Co., Ltd. 1971 Established Malaysian Sheet Glass Berhad. 1979 Obtained the sales right of glass fiber products from Nippon Glass Fiber Co., Ltd. and commenced sale of glass fiber. 1987 Established Nippon Micro G-Wool Co. Ltd. (later renamed MAG Co., Ltd.) to undertake the manufacture and sale of glass wool. 1990 Invested in Libbey-Owens-Ford Co. 1999 Merged with Nippon Glass Fiber Co., Ltd. and Micro Optics Co., Ltd. 2000 Invested in Pilkington Plc. 2002 Transferred the continuous glass fiber business to Established NSG Vetrotex K.K.